My New Bike!!!

From BikeReviews.Com

When I started triathlon way back in June of 2011 (I know seems like just yesterday, no?), I wanted to make sure that I actually liked the sport before investing in a fancy bike. I also wanted to get more experience riding a bike so that I would know what kind of bike I actually wanted.

The Decision to Buy

In my early days of riding a road bike, I wasn’t sure that I liked it. My first real bike ride was during a practice triathlon with the Tri Club and I was bored on the short 7 mile bike portion. As I started cycling more, my back and butt hurt so much that I could barely imagine riding 40 miles let alone 112. However, once I got more experienced on the bike, it grew on me (and the pain went away, or at least started later in the ride). I started enjoying our 2-3 hour bike rides, especially if the weather was nice. There is something pretty exciting about riding a bike down a big hill or covering more miles than I do in three days commute to work in just one ride.

Sometime in the Fall, after my 2nd triathlon, I decided I’d start saving for a bike. I was hoping to have the money by at least February so that I’d have time to practice on my new bike before the 70.3. Mike and I started dubbing every opportunity to not spend money as one to put money toward the “bike fund.” In September, Mike purchased his first triathlon bike (he rode a very old road bike that he purchased used for less than $1,000 for his first Ironman and all previous triathlons) after doing A LOT of research. Every time he got on a computer he was researching the best bike for his buck. He ultimately purchased a Cervelo P2 and was very happy with its performance.

The Search

When I started looking at bikes, I went straight to the women’s triathlon bikes, namely the Cannondale Slice, which I thought was the most attractive of the female triathlon bikes. However, it was slightly out of my price range. I started window shopping at the local bike shops (there are two within walking distance of my house so we went to each of them several times) and I started talking to bike shop employees about triathlon vs. road bike, womens vs. unisex bike options. I asked more experienced triathletes what they thought. I came to the consensus that having a women’s bike doesn’t matter (basically the handle bars are closer together for women’s smaller shoulders but I have quite wide shoulders so this really didn’t matter), although they are more attractive to me. On the argument of road vs. triathlon bike though, I was torn. Some said, “If you’re going to own one bike, own a road bike.It’s more comfortable and easier to handle.” However, Mike pointed out that he was perfectly comfortable in the non-aero position on his P2. Some said “If all you are going to do is compete in triathlon, get a tri bike. Aero bars on a road bike are very uncomfortable and you will want to be aero in the Ironman.” I also questioned my ability to actually stay aero during the Ironman since I chose a race with such a hilly course. So…Road bike? Triathlon bike?

The Purchase

So over the holiday break I did some more serious bike shopping. All I had to do was ride the Cervelo Ultegra P2 for 10 minutes and I knew I’d found the one.

Getting Fitted on My New Bike!

And even better, Cervelo was having a deal where if you found someone else to also purchase a Cervelo, you each got $1,000 off!!! I ended up with a sweet 2012 Cervelo P2 for under $2,000. I scored! I purchased the bike at Nytro, a popular local bike shop, and also got it fitted that same day.

Some fun facts about Cervelo and the P2 in particular:

Chrissie and Her P2

The P2 is very popular due to its ability to fit people very well. This is due to its “tried and true geometry” according to OnOnTri.com.

At the 2010 Kona Bike Count published on the LAVA Magazine website there were 468 Cervelos on the pier in Kona out of 1661 total bikes counted. Fully 28% of the field was on Cervelo. The remaining 72% of the field was divided up among a scattered 51 brands (source).

Chrissie Wellington road a P2 for many years and won more than one Kona Ironman World Championship on it (she is now sponspored by Cannondale so she rides one of their bikes).

The first few times I road my bike it was on my trainer in my living room. I didn’t have my power meter set up yet so I can’t say if there was a difference in power on the new bike, but I can say that I could feel that it was far superior to my old bike. A week after my purchase I finally had the chance to take the P2 out for it’s long ride debut. We rode about 38 miles down the coast and down the Oceanside bike path. I could tell an INCREDIBLE difference in both power and comfort. I was even able to ride in the aero bars for the majority of the miles on the bike path. Mike and Jeremy who usually ride several minutes ahead were quite surprised at how close I was behind them each time we stopped. I found it easy to hold a pace nearly 2 miles per hour faster than before and I was passing both men and women cyclists throughout the ride. By the end of the ride, I was confident that I had purchased the right bike for me.

The only discomfort I’ve experienced on my new bike is the seat. Since I purchased a uni-sex bicyle, I was given a men’s seat. Obviously my body isn’t made the same way as a man’s. I am currently on the hunt for a new bike seat and have been given some great suggestions. I’m currently trying out a tester seat for the week and hopefully I”ll have a new seat by next week.

I’m very satisfied with my decision to purchase a new bike and also with my decision to purchase a triathlon bike. I was told that triathlon bikes are harder to handle and manage, but honestly I’ve noticed no difference. When I’m not in aero, it isn’t really an issue to reach across to my aero bars and shift.

Do you have a road bike or a triathlon bike? How did you decide which brand/style bike to buy?

This was SUCH a huge process for me. I couldn’t decide as well if I could live with just a road bike or not, but eventually decided to buy a tri bike. Comfort rules, and I’m sure you’ll find a saddle that is right for you – I ride on the Adamo and it’s amazing!

Ouch!! This hits close to home. I read a recent study that noted that men that were dmeeed weekend warriors were more likely to have a cardiac event on the weekends while engaged in physical activity. I think you hit the key. Everything in moderation. Don’t go to event unprepared and hope to just use adrenalin to get you thru to the finishline. That is not a substitute for proper training which includes 20-30 minutes of training 3 times a week, proper rest, good nutrition, and relaxation tecniques (massage/stretching). Moderation!!

My main reason for avoiding a tri bike is fear! I crashed on the test ride (!) in the parking lot (!) of the first one I ever tried! So now I am terrified of riding one, though I know it will be much faster. As a fairly new rider yourself, did you battle fear with the tri bike? Any crashes? Did it take a long time to adjust?

I actually never crashed -it was surprisingly easy to adjust. I basically stayed out of aero except for on very safe, straight portions for a while and then slowly started staying in aero longer and longer. I still don’t stay in aero more than 90% of the time – I always get out when i’m not s ure it’s safe. You can do it!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Welcome to My Blog!

I’m Nicole. I’m a runner, mom to three girls (including twins!), and fitness lover who attempts to live a life of balance as a pizza, craft beer and coffee lover. I live and train near the ocean in San Diego and always keep it real here – there are lots of failures along with my successes in these pages, but what you’ll never see me do is give up!

I am a former accountant who started this blog from a place of absolute passion and love for health and fitness. I’ve now turned it into a way for me to reach and help more people as a health & fitness coach & it’s my mission to help as many women as possible achieve their own goals. I’ve brought hundreds of women into my community and helped them gain confidence and happiness through either my monthly accountability groups or by following their dreams as an online coach as well!

If you’d like to reach out to me for any reason, contact me at fitnessfataleblog at gmail dot com!

Let’s Get Stronger, Fitter, & Healthier Together!

I am a health and fitness coach. I run monthly challenge groups which provide daily accountability and guidance through your journey to achieve your own personal goals.

If you're a runner who is looking to mix in strength training, don't hesitate to reach out! You can compliment your running by including a modified version of any of the programs with your running schedule.

Upcoming Groups:

March 18th: Ultimate Portion Fix Nutrition-Only Support Group

April 15th: 4 Week Virtual Accountability Group - Transform:20, 21 Day Fix, 80 Day Obsession, LIIFT4 or any other program.

Curious about becoming a virtual fitness coach yourself? Join our next private Facebook event and learn all about it with no obligation.